Feedback: Readers' thoughts on the Brewster-Douglass demolition in Detroit

Mar. 12, 2014

Demolition of the Brewster-Douglass towers in Detroit began Monday. / Detroit Free Press

Stephen Henderson wrote in a column that, with the towers of the abandoned Brewster-Douglass housing project coming down, it’s time to relook at the city’s future. What if we rethought Brewster-Douglass as ground zero for real economic development in Detroit? Not another sports/entertainment venue, but a real job creator and business attractor? Imagine if we put the manufacturing hub that’s going to Canton, for instance, there. Readers weighed in on the Brewster-Douglass and what to do with the site on Freep.com:

There is no plan for many of the areas that will see bulldozers this spring and summer because as I speculated almost two years ago. Many areas will not be rebuilt. The city cannot afford to service 139 square miles with a population of only 700,000, even when it emerges from bankruptcy. There also isn’t a plan for much lost cost or government housing. History has proved these high rises fail as an answer. They can’t be properly policed and the criminals usually take over. Providing Section 8 vouchers has also proved to be a failure. Detroit will probably make a move to mixed-housing developments, where the amount of government-provided housing is kept at a manageable level in each development. City planners may not publicly acknowledge it. But, you can’t sustain a city and new growth with Section 8 vouchers. You need working families with a vested interest in maintaining their property and surrounding community. “Pride in ownership” has never been part of Section 8. But, “pride in ownership” is the foundation of all successful communities.

James Foster

Who would put manufacturing next to retail and housing on such a small site like that?

Kayde Johnson

Instead of feeling good & congratulating Canton, Henderson suggests that the project is better suited for the city. A practice that is supposed to be stopped and is expected in the new spirit of cooperation, for the good of all as we move forward. Is there a double standard? What would your reaction have been had a suburb said, “We need the new Red Wings stadium and development more than Detroit?”

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Have you learned nothing from the recent past? It’s not about just Detroit, it’s about all of us! When one of us wins, all of us win. Right? Acting like Detroit has some magical priority for improvements and opportunities is selfish and foolish. Short term or long term. Is a vibrant Detroit more important to state of Michigan than a vibrant Canton? Or Macomb County? Or Grand Rapids? Sorry, no it isn’t. Its residents are no more deserving of jobs than anybody else. Detroit may need more jobs, but that doesn’t mean they deserve them more.

Yes, Detroit is in trouble. Yes, Detroit needs a lot of help, especially right now. But the rest of the state is not shutting down. Detroit’s many problems are not going to be fixed overnight and shouldn’t be fixed at the expense of those who share some of the problems.

Daniel Hackett

I’m sure that Canton will trade Detroit for the Red Wings stadium.

Todd Christopher

Could the Brewster-Douglass site have been utilized for the new hockey arena, instead of in the Cass Corridor, where there are businesses and a strong community identity? It is close to the other sports facilities, and if you include the park, similar in size.

Serene Arena

This is one Brush Park resident who does not want manufacturing in his neighborhood.

James Courtney

Let’s just tear it down. No need for a long range plan now. Detroit needs a short range plan first. Leadership ,budget plan, and policy to fix problems.

Paul Russo

I would rather see empty land than an ugly eyesore that pollutes the city’s skyline. But the city can’t rely on just stadiums and arenas as plans for the future. There needs to be jobs of the 21st Century brought here and a trained work force to fill those jobs, just like the job hub located in Canton.

Thomas A. Wilson Jr.

I say find the modern versions of architects Alfred Caldwell, Ludwig Hilberseimer and Mies van der Rohe to attempt another urban renewal effort a long the lines of Lafayette Park. Affordable housing for the middle class.

Dennis Marquez Johnson

The city has to create a development plan that allows for mixed-use buildings in the area. I am not sure than manufacturing is right for that spot, but the development of the area cannot appear haphazard, as has seemed the case in the past.